Folding and reclining armchair



May 9, 1950 J. LEE 2,507,024

FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR Filed May 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

INVEN TOR.

Jim L 09 May 9, 1950 J. LEE

FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1947 INVENTOR.

Jim Lee Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING AND RECLINING ARMCHAIR Jim Lee, New York, N. Y.

Application May 29, 1947, Serial No. 751,183

2 Claims.

This invention relates to folding armchairs, and is a simplification of the construction shown in my companion application executed by me May 21, 1947. Among the objects are to provide a chair of this type which is also a reclining chair and which may be released by the occupant for automatic reclination, and returned to the normal upright position, and secured therein, without the occupant leaving the chair. Existing chairs of this type either require that they be set for this convenient operation before occupancy, or that the occupant leave the chair to make the adjustments he desires. When not used as a reclining chair these prior constructions are not suitable as a firm, upright parlor or porch chair. My invention, on the other hand, embodies all these novel features in a simple rugged manner, and contains the additional improvements and advantages appearing in the following description, in the appended claims and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved chair;

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a side view showing my improved chair in one of the several inclined positions it will assume;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of my improvement as it appears when folded;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the latch or snap lock 25 of the armrests l2, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the spreader device 2| for locking the chair in the open position and for stretching the cloth seat l9.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the lower portion of one of the uprights showing a slidable latch operatively associated therewith.

Referring to the drawings: Legs 1 and 8 cross each other and are pivoted together at 9. The rear ends of legs I pivotally receive at E the bottom ends of the frame H which comprises the back of the chair. Arm rests l2, having laterally extending shelves [4, are pivoted at l to the frame above the pivot I0 and extend forward to, and are pivoted at It to, the uprights I1, which carry the foot or leg rest l8. The cloth seat 19 is permanently fixed to cross rods 20, Figures 1 and 2, and is made taut by the hinged spreader device 2| arranged on either side of the chair. These spreaders are pivoted at one end to leg I and at the other end to leg 8. The cloth back 22 of the chair comprises a continuation of the cloth that forms the seat 19. It lies between the frame parts H and is anchored at the top to a cross bar 23 which lies between and is secured to the frame parts, as shown. The uprights l! which, as aforesaid, carries the foot or leg rest I8, are pivoted to the forward ends of the legs 8 and are firmly locked against undesired movement thereon by latches 24. These latches are arranged on the back of the uprights for sliding movement thereon as by slot and screw connections 24a and 24b into and out of engagement with openings in the metal plates 25 arranged on the front side of legs 1 near their bottom, Figures 2 and 3, and they serve also to lock the chair in the upright position shown in Figures 1 and 2. Releasing these latches allows the chair to recline to any desired position such as shown in Figure 3. The latches are operated by the occupant of the chair whilst he is seated in the chair, and after they are released the operation of the chair is automatic.

To fold my improved chair it is only necessary to lift the latches 24 out of the openings in the metal plates 25, open the snap-lock 26 thus permitting the two-piece arm rests E2 to fold upwardly on their hinges 21, and lift upward on the spreader devices 2|, see Figure 6. The chair parts may then be readily moved to the folded compact position shown in Figure 4. It will be noted that the shelf of the arm rest is provided With a dowel pin 28 which, for aligning purposes, enters a complementary hole in the rear section of the arm rest, Figures 2, 3 and 4, when the chair is in the service position.

Being aware that changes may be made in the form and arrangement of parts disclosed without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention, I desire not to be limited to the exact forms herein illustrated and described.

What I claim is:

1. A folding and reclining chair comprising two pairs of parallel legs pivotally connected together, a back frame including a pair of upright parts each pivotally connected at its lower end to the upper end of one pair of said legs, a pair of front uprights each pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the upper end of the other pair of said legs, the front uprights projecting above their pivotal connections and below same to points adjacent the lower ends of said one pair of legs, arm rests pivotally connected at corresponding ends to the upper ends of said front uprights and pivotally connected at their other ends to said upright frame parts, flexible seat and back portions connected respectively to said pairs of legs and upright frame parts, an elongated latch slidably supported on the rear edge of each front upright accessible for operation by a person seated in the chair and by raising the front uprights, and a latch keeper secured to each leg of said one pair of legs adjacent its lower end engageable and disengageable by said latch for selectively locking the chair in upright rigid position and for permitting same to assume a reclined position.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each of said arm rests comprises a pair of normally alined sections having adjacent ends intermediate said pivotal connections of the arm rests with the front uprights and upright frame parts, said ends being hingedly connected, a snap lock carried by the sections and cooperating for normally rendering the hinge connection inefiective, a shelf secured to one section and overhanging one side thereof, the shelf being of a length greater than its carrying section and normally lying on the upper edge of the cooperating section, and a dowel pin and aperture connection between the shelf and the cooperating section.

JIM LEE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 32,822 Crane July 16, 1861 238,585 Hayden Mar. 8, 1881 483,849 Eichholtz June 1, 1897 709,688 Vogel Sept. 23, 1902 1,604,108 Antipas Oct. 26, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 859,793 France Sept. 16, 1940 

